If progress of past 10 years
continue all states could be covered by 2020

By
2020 or sooner, the entire nation could have laws banning smoking in
all indoor areas of private sector worksites, restaurants and bars, a
study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found.
These places are major sources of secondhand smoke exposure.

The
projection is based on the rate at which states have been adopting
comprehensive smoke-free laws. In just the past 10 years, 25 states and
the District of Columbia have enacted these laws, the CDC report said.

The
study, published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, lists the
smoke-free status of every state and the District of Columbia. In
addition to listing the states with comprehensive smoke-free laws and
years they went into effect, the report also lists the 10 states that
have laws prohibiting smoking in one or two—but not all
three—of the venues included in the study. It also identifies
eight states that have less restrictive laws, such as those allowing
smoking in designated areas or areas with separate ventilation. And the
study details the seven states that have no statewide smoking
restrictions in place for private worksites, restaurants or bars:
Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia,
and Wyoming.

"Eliminating
smoking from worksites, restaurants and bars is a low-cost, high-impact
strategy that will protect nonsmokers and allow them to live healthier,
longer, more productive lives while lowering health care costs
associated with secondhand smoke," said CDC director Thomas R. Frieden,
M.D., M.P.H. "While there has been a lot of progress over the past
decade, far too many Americans continue to be exposed to secondhand
smoke at their workplaces, increasing their risk of cancer and heart
attacks."

Despite
increased adoption of state and local smoke-free laws, approximately 88
million nonsmoking Americans aged 3 and older are still exposed to
secondhand smoke each year. More than half of children over age 3 are
exposed to secondhand smoke. The 2010 Surgeon General's report makes
clear that there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco
smoke—including secondhand smoke—and that any
exposure can lead to immediate damage to the body's organs and DNA.

"Secondhand
smoke is responsible for 46,000 heart disease deaths and 3,400 lung
cancer deaths among nonsmokers each year," said Ursula Bauer, Ph.D.,
M.P.H., director of CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion. "Completely prohibiting smoking in all
public places and workplaces is the only way to fully protect
nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure."

For
a list of states and the types of smoke-free laws in each, view the
full report at www.cdc.gov/mmwr. Additional information on
secondhand smoke exposure and smoke-free laws is available by accessing
CDC's State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System at
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/statesystem. Smokers can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW
(1-800-784-8669) or visit www.smokefree.gov
for quitting assistance.